Type 2 diabetics and non-diabetics alike, constantly hear about calories (or kilojoules) and how important they are. Not eating foods that contain too many calories, eating foods containing the "right" amount of calories so you can maintain a healthy weight, and so on. Because we can only lose body fat when the calories we burn are greater than the calories we take in through our food, calories certainly do count. Weight loss can reverse or, at least, improve your Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance.
But why is counting calories so important for a diabetic? While non-diabetics may count them as just being a way of helping them lose weight, diabetics can use them as another measure to ensure they are making the right food choices, regardless of whether or not they need to lose weight.
A diabetic should understand how to count calories and what they mean. They should also have a solid calorie intake figure, from their doctor or a registered dietitian, as to how many calories they actually should be consuming each day. This number of calories is usually based on your weight and overall health.
An easy way to calculate your desired calorie intake is to take your weight and multiply it by 16. This gives you a rough idea anyway.
What are the appropriate number of calories to take in? For women, the average is between 1600 to 2100 (6699 to 8792 kJ) while men should average between 2000 to 2500 (8373 to 10,467 kJ) per day. Of course, this may vary between individuals based on their level of health and the severity of their condition, as well as any other underlying issue.
Eating foods that send your calorie intake over your recommended amount means one thing... gaining weight. Following your recommended guidelines means maintaining your weight, and reducing the recommended amount means, of course, losing weight. But that isn't the whole formula... there is much more to it than that.
You still have to limit your calories from carbs. One gram of carbs is equivalent to 4 calories, while one gram of protein has 4 calories and one gram of fat has 9. This is why simply adding up calories at the end of the day won't work. They have to remain balanced.
If you need to lose weight your doctor will give you a starting caloric intake amount. But as your weight drops, your calories will change. Your body's needs will change also: unless you also adapt your caloric intake to these new demands the weight loss will slow down and eventually stop.
Your doctor or dietitian will tell you how much of each type of foods (fat, protein, carbs) you need to make up your calories. This is not advice, it is set in stone. Deviate from your suggested plan and you will not only lose out on the benefits of the plan, but your diabetes may also suffer.
Listen to your stomach hunger cues. If you are physically hungry, you should eat. When you are no longer hungry, but comfortable, you should stop eating. If you are still hungry after eating the amount of food determined by your carbohydrate budget of your calorie intake, discuss this with either your Doctor or Diabetes Educator.
To discover answers to questions you may be asking yourself about Type 2 Diabetes, click on this link... Natural Diabetes Treatments
Clicking on this link will help you to learn more about Type 2 Diabetes Solutions... Beverleigh Piepers RN... the Diabetes Detective.
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